September 2010 Edition SPD Newsletter - Spokane Police ...

We took possession of the new building for the
Property and Evidence Facility in August. In
September, the State Street vehicle building was
shut down and the vehicles were moved to the new
building. Shannon Hallam and her staff are now
busily working on the outitting of this building to
include freezers, storage systems, oficer area, etc.
This is a substantial project and we have tentatively
set the occupancy to be complete in June of 2011.
Trafic Unit
LEIS is working hard on the installation of the
encrypted wireless air card system. To date there are approximately 40-air cards
installed in various applications. The roll out should be complete by the end of this year
so all patrol vehicles will have broadband wireless
service throughout the region. The COPS shops
router installations should also be wrapping up by
the end of the year so oficers will also have wireless
access while in these facilities. This will greatly
enhance usability of our computer systems, such
LEWeb, CAD, email, etc.
The department commissioned a leet study to
ensure that we are using best practices for rotation,
purchase, maintenance and appropriate vehicle
application. Several good ideas came from the
Patrol Lieutenants’ ofices
study, such as a dual track vehicle purchase and
application system. We will now purchase Crown Victorias for patrol use and Impalas
for administrative and investigative staff. This alone will save $177,000 in this year’s
leet purchase and outitting of our cars. We are also planning to make one more purchase
of Crown Victoria’s next spring, which will be the last time they are offered, and
carry over this inventory into 2012 at which time we
will transition to a different model.
Volunteer Services
The new interoperable radio system is on target for
the year 2013. This is a complete radio system
replacement as required by the Federal Communications
Commission. Every portable and car radio,
dispatch console, electronics, radio towers, etc., will
be replaced. Motorola is the recipient of the contract
and they are providing a state of the art system
that will serve us for many years into the future.
As you can see these are major enhancements. Fortunately, we have been the recipients
of grants and a voted tax levy to pay for the majority of these projects. Even with the
economic challenges of today we recognize the importance of providing safe and reliable
equipment and facilities for you. You need to have safe car to drive, your handguns must
be reliable, the computer equipment must function, your radio must work and you
deserve a comfortable and clean work environment.
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